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The FDA and other "watchdog" government agencies seldom are called to account for erroneous or irresponsible decisions. In the Dow Chemical silicone breast implant suit, the government was recently awarded $9.8 million for medical expenses paid out through Medicare and Medicaid. It didn't seem to matter that another agency, the FDA, of the same government had previously approved the use and sale of these implants and is currently considering whether to allow them to be sold again.

Further, these same agencies show definite bias when it comes to evaluating the risks associated with drugs. A good example is the fact that the agencies are constantly pushing for vaccinations and flu shots. For some reason, however, they neglect to tell the public that the preservative in these flu shots and vaccines is mercury.

Is there such a thing as healthy mercury?

When it comes to other sources of mercury, though, they are extremely vigilant. They have issued repeated warnings on the consumption of various fish, including tuna, shark, swordfish, and mahi-mahi, because of possible mercury contamination. And since mercury is particularly harmful to nerve cells, government health authorities have stressed that infants and small children shouldn't be fed these foods, and pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid eating tuna also.

However the facts state that most canned tuna contains less mercury contamination than tuna steaks, which come from larger tuna. It's hard to tell how much, if any, mercury these products contain. Smaller fish are safer, and so are fish like sole, sardines, herring, bass, catfish, salmon and shellfish.

Although the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has determined that the maximum allowable daily exposure to mercury is 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight, the new flu vaccine for babies, called Fluzone, contains 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 ml dose.

Practically all vaccines contain mercury and aluminum. And vaccines are not "safer" sources of these toxic minerals. It doesn't matter if the mercury comes from fish or from a vaccine. The potential for neurological damage remains the same. But for some reason, even though we're warned about fish consumption, vaccines and flu shots are strongly encouraged and, in many instances, even required by law. It shouldn't come as any surprise that more babies seem to be developing autism problems, and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is steadily increasing.

Alzheimer's linked to flu shots

In the year 2000, there were approximately 5 million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer's, and it has become the fourth leading cause of death in individuals over the age of 75. By the year 2010, it is estimated that over 7 million individuals will have the disease, and by 2025, 22 million will develop Alzheimer's.

As the general population continues to consume more contaminated food, water, and medicines, these predictions may very well prove accurate. One expert at the 1997 National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) International Vaccine Conference stated that anyone who had five consecutive flu vaccine shots increased their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by a factor of 10 over someone who received only two or fewer shots.

A powerful herb to prevent alzheimer's

It's worth mentioning, while we're on the Alzheimer's topic, that the elderly in India have the lowest incidence of Alzheimer's disease in the world. Only 1 percent of the elderly in India suffer from Alzheimer's. In contrast, the Alzheimer's Association in this country says that 10% of our population over 65 years old has the disease, and half of those over 85 have Alzheimer's. Researchers have theorized that the low incidence of Alzheimer's among the Indian population could be due to their increased consumption of the spice turmeric, a component of curry. Animal studies have supported this theory.

Studies have shown that when either turmeric or curcumin, (a major component of turmeric) was added to the diets of animals bred to develop Alzheimer's, the brain damage was significantly lessened. [Neurobiol Aging 01;22(6):993-1005] [J Neurosci 01:21(21):8370-8377]

Turmeric has been shown to have very strong antioxidant properties that can be very effective at normal dietary doses. This spice may be one of the easiest and least expensive methods of combating the growing epidemic of Alzheimer's disease.

Better than a flu shot

When it comes to beating the flu, selenium can increase your odds. Selenium is a necessary mineral for the production of antioxidants within the body. New animal research from the University of North Carolina has found that a dietary deficiency of selenium may cause a harmless strain of the flu virus to mutate into a virulent pathogen.

When selenium-deficient mice were given a known flu virus and compared to mice with normal selenium levels, researchers found that the selenium-deficient animals experienced far more serious symptoms, such as lung damage. Based on this new research, other researchers are wondering if the more potent viruses, such as HIV, also mutated in environments where there were selenium deficiencies. It makes sense when you consider the well-known fact that most of the worldwide flu outbreaks originate in China, where large segments of the population are selenium-deficient.

Whether you decide to get flu shots or other vaccinations is a personal choice but as you weigh the pros and cons of such a decision, don't be naive enough to think any of our government agencies have your best interests as their top priority. It could be a fatal mistake.

Lots of stuff contains mercury...like fish...I don't know what kind of mercury it is, but not all mercury is stored or toxic. I would assume they aren't using anything above normal levels.

As for alternative methods...there are some homeopathic things to treat the flu once you get it, but I am unaware of a vaccine being available any other way then "live" or "dead" varieties of what you're trying not to catch.

As I understand 1 pneumonia shot for an adult is adequate their whole remaining life.
I'm not up on all the info on that shot..I recall (somewhere in the recesses of my brain) that there are 2 types of vaccines for this and one of them only needs to be done once. They actually recommend making sure you keep track and not ever get another....but don't quote me on this...long time ago reading

Hopefully a doc or nurse who knows more on this stuff will be better able to answer

Thoreau said, 'A man is rich in proportion to the things he can leave alone.'

I wonder... does the mecury come from the thimerosal? I am allergic to thimerosal, and had a pretty nasty reaction when I got my last tetanus shot. I have never got a flu shot b/c the one time I was going to go get it they said that if you are allergic to thimerosal you shouldn't. For me, I don't usually get the flu, but if I do, I think I would get myself to the doctor to get one of those medications that reduces the severity of the flu (if taken quickly enough).

Originally posted by wallycat Lots of stuff contains mercury...like fish...I don't know what kind of mercury it is, but not all mercury is stored or toxic. I would assume they aren't using anything above normal levels.

Here are some quotes from the article above. If these are accurate, then the maximum level of exposure is being exceeded for most people, and the potential for damage here is alarming.

"The maximum allowable daily exposure to mercury is 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight."

"It doesn't matter if the mercury comes from fish or from a vaccine. The potential for neurological damage remains the same."

As for alternative methods...there are some homeopathic things to treat the flu once you get it, but I am unaware of a vaccine being available any other way then "live" or "dead" varieties of what you're trying not to catch, wallycat.

As I understand 1 pneumonia shot for an adult is adequate their whole remaining life.

You know, I just thought of something. I get allergy shots too. Does anybody know what's really in these? I searched the Internet, but pretty much came up empty-handed. I guess I could just ask the doctor to supply me with a list of ingredients? I assume that's a reasonable request.

Here's some information from webmd.com This article refers to ongoing studies, but the general conclusion is that vaccines are safe...

Dec. 3, 2002 -- A federally funded study offers reassurance to those who are concerned about the health risks of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. Researchers found that blood mercury levels in vaccinated infants were well below those considered safe and that mercury was eliminated from the body much faster than expected.

The findings suggest that government health officials may have acted prematurely in recommending the removal of thimerosal from vaccines in the summer of 1999. The move came in response to public fears that the mercury in the preservative may be linked to an increase in autism, asthma, and several other childhood diseases. Vaccines containing thimerosal are no longer given to children in the U.S., but the preservative is still widely used in vaccines given to children in other countries. Removal of the preservative has reportedly raised costs of producing, storing, and shipping vaccines.

"Our most important finding was that not a single child had a blood mercury level which exceeded the most stringent safety standards -- those set by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]," lead researcher Michael E. Pichichero, MD, tells WebMD. "We also showed that the mercury in vaccines is eliminated from the body six to seven times faster than has been predicted."

In the study, reported Nov. 30 in The Lancet, Pichichero and colleagues from New York's University of Rochester Medical Center examined mercury levels in the blood, urine, and stool of 40 infants given vaccinations containing thimerosal and 21 infants who received thimerosal-free vaccines. All infants received diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DtaP) and hepatitis B vaccines, and some were also given an Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine. These immunizations are typically given to children at the ages of 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months.

All of the children were found to have mercury levels below the EPA's public safety limit of 5.8 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Most had blood mercury levels ranging from 1 to 2 ng/mL, and the highest level found was 4.11 ng/mL.

The children eliminated half of the vaccine-related mercury in their stools within six to seven days of inoculation, instead of the 45 days that had been predicted by previous studies. This suggests that typical vaccination schedules are safe, Pichichero says.

"Vaccines are usually given to infants two months apart, and our findings suggest that by 60 days there is virtually no mercury left in the body," he says. "So there is no cumulative effect."

Immunization expert Neal Halsey, MD, who has been outspoken in calling for increased vaccine safety research, calls the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-funded study a good start.

"This is a good study, and it helps us to understand the metabolism of ethyl mercury associated with thimerosal," says Halsey, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "But one thing we don't know from this study is what the peak levels of mercury are shortly after vaccination."

The University of Rochester researchers hope to address this question in a similar study of 200 children now under way in Argentina. But Halsey says the definitive answer to the safety question is at least several years away. That is when results are expected from a separate government follow-up study of children exposed to differing levels of thimerosal.

"Everyone has a small amount of mercury in their body from different exposures," he tells WebMD. "The question is what level is associated with harm in young children."

Originally posted by paula Here's some information from webmd.com This article refers to ongoing studies, but the general conclusion is that vaccines are safe...

Thanks for the article. Some of the stuff in here is encouraging, but there's still no denying the fact that the shots themselves contain way above the the maximum allowable daily exposure of 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight. An infant weighs about 3 kilograms. That means the maximum allowable daily exposure for an infant is about 0.3 micrograms. Well, the shot itself can contain up to 25 micrograms--about 75 times the daily allowance!!! This is considered "safe"???

I did some searching and came across this article (did somebody already post this?? I'm losing track of what I have and haven't read!)

Thimerosal and Flu Vaccines
Some vaccines, including some of the available flu vaccines, contain thimerosal, a preservative that is used in many vaccines and other medicines (including contact-lens storage and cleaning solutions) to prevent bacteria from growing in the solutions. Thimerosal is a mercury-based chemical. Although no one has shown that thimerosal in vaccines poses a danger of mercury poisoning in infants or children, there is a theoretical risk of such poisoning.

Influenza infection is dangerous to infants. However, only two of the three flu vaccines on the market are meant to be given to children under age 2 years, and those vaccines are not recommended for children younger than six months. Therefore, most public health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that infants at risk receive flu vaccine starting at age 6 months whether or not the vaccine contains thimerosal. Some of the current vaccine is made with a reduced amount of thimerosal, reducing the theoretical risk of mercury poisoning, and should be used for vaccinating children under age 3 years.

Originally posted by wallycat
As I understand 1 pneumonia shot for an adult is adequate their whole remaining life.

I was told that I was in the high risk group because of having allergies and asthma and all infections have always run into bronchitis or an upper respiratory infection which really makes the asthma a major event. I have been getting flu shots for over 20 years and did get the pneumonia shot. I thought it was a lifetime shot, but it is not. My Primary Care Dr. said that they now see that it is good for about 9-10 years not a lifetime protection. So I got the booster a few years ago and will get another when the expiring time arrives. This is one infection that I do not want to have.

In the year 2000, there were approximately 5 million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer's, and it has become the fourth leading cause of death in individuals over the age of 75. By the year 2010, it is estimated that over 7 million individuals will have the disease, and by 2025, 22 million will develop Alzheimer's.

I can't help but be concerned about the above statement. This completely fails to take into account that the numbers of people with Alzheimer's could increase because the number of people who are over the age of 65 will be increasing exponentially. The baby boom lasted from 1946-1964. In 2025, ALL of those people will be over 60! So of course the number of people with Alzheimer's will increase! Add to that the fact that with every generation, we live longer, adding to the chances that we will live long enough to develop Alzheimer's... I'm sorry, I just think it's irresponsible to present these numbers and not present other factors that could also lead to the anticipated increase.

We figured there was too much happiness here for just the two of us, so we figured the next logical step was to have us a critter.

I can't help but be concerned about the above statement. This completely fails to take into account that the numbers of people with Alzheimer's could increase because the number of people who are over the age of 65 will be increasing exponentially. The baby boom lasted from 1946-1964. In 2025, ALL of those people will be over 60! So of course the number of people with Alzheimer's will increase! Add to that the fact that with every generation, we live longer, adding to the chances that we will live long enough to develop Alzheimer's... I'm sorry, I just think it's irresponsible to present these numbers and not present other factors that could also lead to the anticipated increase.

I think I'll skip the flu shot this year too. I just don't like putting chemicals into my body if I really don't need them. Who really knows for sure that they are 100% safe. Modern medicine has been proven wrong before.

I got the shot - the risks associated with the flu are far more frightening to me than those associated with the vaccination.
But there are preservative-free alternatives available...the new nasal spray as well as preservative-free doses of the regular type of vaccination - just ask your doctor.

"FluMist (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal), which is sprayed into both nostrils, is approved to prevent disease caused by influenza viruses in healthy children and adolescents ages 5 to 17 and in healthy adults ages 18 to 49. People ages 9 to 49 need one dose, and children ages 5 to 8 need two doses at least six weeks apart the first year they get the vaccine. In clinical trials, FluMist was tested in roughly 20,000 people, including more than 10,000 healthy children 5 to 17 years of age. The vaccine is manufactured by MedImmune Vaccines Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., and will be marketed by MedImmune and by Wyeth Vaccines of Philadelphia.

FluMist, which is filled into individual single-dose sprayers, does not contain thimerosal, nor is thimerosal used at any point in manufacturing FluMist. Thimerosal, which prevents the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi, is used as a preservative for inactivated influenza vaccines in multidose containers. Preservative-free inactivated influenza vaccines are also available."

Originally posted by summer02 But there are preservative-free alternatives available...the new nasal spray as well as preservative-free doses of the regular type of vaccination - just ask your doctor.

How hard are these to find? I got my shot at a benefits fair at work. The nurse herself was from a local hospital (which is very large). When I asked her if they offer alternative shots at that hospital, she didn't even seem to know what I was talking about.

Originally posted by paula "Our most important finding was that not a single child had a blood mercury level which exceeded the most stringent safety standards -- those set by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]," lead researcher Michael E. Pichichero, MD, tells WebMD. "We also showed that the mercury in vaccines is eliminated from the body six to seven times faster than has been predicted."

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I personally know at least one...I baby sit an autistic child that was fine until her 6 month shots. They had to go through treatment to have the mercury removed from her system. But nothing will restore her to healthy. She would have gotten the shots about 6 or 7 years ago now. I don't know enough about this topic to debate one way or another, but I'm weary of claims that there is absolutely no danger. That being said...I had the flu shot.

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied: 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.' " --M. L. Haskins

Having 2 children myself, I have read numerous articles on the risks associated with vaccines. There are no definitive studies to link the mercury in shots (such as the MMR shot) with autism. What they found was that at 1 year old, when the MMR shot is administered, is about the same time that any signs of autism would appear.

I did get a flu shot because I don't want the flu. I am looking into getting it for my kids. Yes, I'm a bit apprehensive for them to have the shot, but I'm also afraid of the risks of the virus on babies. Also, the flu is different each year and thus the vaccine is different each year. They have found with chicken pox that the risk of dying or serious complications from the virus is much greater than any risks from the vaccine itself.

That's just what I have seen, but everyone will always have their own opinion- that's as it should be !

Thimerosal: the reason I don't get flu shots, despite the fact that my workplace practically out'n'out tells us to.

I am a longtime contact lens wearer, and back when all contact solutions contained thimerosal, I ended up developing an allergy to it and having such a bad reaction that the whites of my eyes (AROUND the contact lenses, ewww!) puffed right out of my eyelids, and stayed that way for two days. I can only imagine what thimerosal would do to me if injected right into my body.

It's a very common allergen, too. Which is why most contact solutions no longer contain it. I'm surprised no one's found anything better for vaccines.

Personally, I would much rather take my chances with the flu, a known enemy, than with the strange chemicals and cultures in the vaccine that we know very little about. I've also read that while mercury may empty out of the body in about 30 days, it may take nearly 30 *years* to empty out of the brain!! What good is it if I avoid the flu now only to end up with Alzheimer's 35 years down the road? Furthermore, do we even know how effective flu shots are? Do they really offer significant protection against the flu? I would like to see some experimental data from independent researchers on this, not from government agencies or pharmaceutical companies. I bet the results might be surprising.

I agree that it has not been proven that vaccines are causing autism. We have an 8 year old autistic nephew and my SIL was blaming the vaccines. I'm from the school of thought that the diseases coming back would not be a better choice. I'm concerned with the rise in parents refusing the vaccines, but fighting the school systems to allow their children to attend public schools, not having been vaccinated.

I always get a flu shot. Having read about the flu in TX on this board, I'm considering having my 13 and 10 year old also receive it.

In a similar vein (pun intended!) to Rissole's original message here, when parents ask me about vaccinations of any types, or patients ask for themselves, I try to give them the resources they need to make a well-informed decision. I don't think "Get the **** shot, lady, or else your kids can't go tho school" is giving parents and people much of a choice!

Since we're talking about mercury, here is a list of the various shots children are "required" (they really aren't) to get and the amounts of mercury, as well as some interesting facts on the subject:

* On an infant's day of birth, it receives 12 micrograms of mercury in the Hepatitis B shot, 30 times the safe level.
* At 4 months, with DTP and Hepatitis B on the same day, an infant receives 50 micrograms of mercury, approximately 60 times the safe level.
* At 6 months, with Hepatitis B and Polio vaccine, the infant receives 62.6 micrograms of mercury 78 times the safe level.FDA Center for Evaluation and Biologics Research. (Hepatitis Control Report, Vol. 4, No. 21 1999)

Mercury is the third most deadly toxin in the environment. Proceedings of the Conference on Mercury in Eastern Canada and the Northeast States, University of Quebec, 1998)

In 1982 the FDA described thimerosal (the mercury adjuvant found in some vaccines) as "especially neurotoxic as well as ineffective as a preservative." (FDA, HHS) The FDA banned thimerosal in over the counter drugs in 1998.

Because of all the publicity on mercury in vaccines, the FDA has asked the manufacturers to consider removing it, while at the same time claiming that it has probably not caused health problems. (JAMA, Nov. 10, 1999)

"...No one knows what dose of mercury if any from vaccines is safe... We can say there is no evidence of harm, but the truth is no one has looked."- Neal Halsey, M.D., Director of Johns Hopkins Institute for Vaccine Safety, advisor to the FDA, and a chief policy maker on vaccines in the US.

The active part of a vaccine is a disease organism which is grown or cultured on a certain medium. Here are some of the culture media for vaccines listed in the 2002 PDR:
-Lung cells of aborted human fetuses
-Kidneys of African green monkeys
-Infected animal cells (monkey, pig, calf, canary, chicken, guinea pig)
-Human blood
-Infected human connective tissue

"The federal government pays the state a bonus of $100 for every 'fully vaccinated child.'"- Jane Orient, M.D., U.S. Newswire, July 8, 1999

Reporting adverse reactions to vaccines with the Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System is not mandatory. 33,000 reactions were reported between 1992 and 1996. The FDA estimates that doctors report about 10% of vaccine adverse reactions (Orient, J, MD. Statement of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, June 14, 1999

I'm from the school of thought that the diseases coming back would not be a better choice. I'm concerned with the rise in parents refusing the vaccines, but fighting the school systems to allow their children to attend public schools, not having been vaccinated.

Could you explain this logic to me? I've heard other parents say the same thing and it's never made any sense to me. Here's how I look at it: Vaccines are sold to people on the promise that if you vaccinate yourself or your child that they will develop immunity to that disease for as long as the vaccination is good for in their system (i.e. boosters, whatever). If a kid comes to school who isn't vaccinated, then "he is at risk for getting that disease" because he hasn't had the shots. How does that have any effect on the kids who have had the shots?

Isn't the promise of the shot to develop immunity in the first place? If you're supposedly immune to the bug, who cares if a kid who doesn't have shots is sitting next to your kid. According to the manufacturer and seller of the vaccine, the only person at risk is the person without the shot.

Maybe my logic is flawed, so please correct me if I'm wrong or point out where my logic collapses. Parents are always so concerned when an unvaccinated kid sneaks into the school, but aren't their kids immune to Hepatitis B, Diptheria, Pertussis, Influenza, PCV, Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chickenpox and tetanus by that time? Or are they worried that maybe the promise on the bill of goods isn't quite as airtight as the manufacturer and seller of the product said it was?

The rather new vaccine for chicken pox is on its way to becoming a mandatory thing in the school system. My daughter had this vaccination around 18 months. She attends daycare where not all kids get this vaccine. One child came to school with chicken pox. I was concerned for my son since he was too young to get the vaccine and, at his age, it could be very bad if he did get chicken pox. There can be serious complications associated with the virus (please don't ask what they are since I don't recall the particulars). The daycare informed us that a child was diagnosed with chicken pox. I spoke to the director about it. She said the child who contracted chicken pox did, in fact, get the shot. Yes, you can still get it! The differenc, I think, is that it won't be as bad if you already had a shot. Luckily, my kids didn't catch it. I believe you can also get the flu if you have a flu shot, it would just be a mild illness rather than a full blown infection that keeps you in bed for a week.

Doc, I don't think the pediatricians try to mislead the parents to believe that their child will NEVER contract these diseases. I was never led to believe that, except maybe with the MMR shot. I survived chicken pox and probably have a better immunity than these children will have with the vaccine. There is debate on whether or not boosters will be needed and how long the immunity lasts. That does concern me since I have heard that it's more dangerous for an adult to get chicken pox. I believe that they're simply trying to eradicate the virus and this is the first step.

Thanks for posting that very informative article, DocAgocs. I learned quite a few new things from reading it.

Originally posted by DocAgocs Since we're talking about mercury, here is a list of the various shots children are "required" (they really aren't) to get and the amounts of mercury, as well as some interesting facts on the subject:

* On an infant's day of birth, it receives 12 micrograms of mercury in the Hepatitis B shot, 30 times the safe level.

From the second site - changes have been made since 1999:
"At present, all routinely recommended vaccines manufactured for administration to U.S. infants are either thimerosal-free or contain only trace amounts of thimerosal (less than 0.5 micrograms mercury per 0.5 mL dose)."

Originally posted by summer02
[B]"At present, all routinely recommended vaccines manufactured for administration to U.S. infants are either thimerosal-free or contain only trace amounts of thimerosal (less than 0.5 micrograms mercury per 0.5 mL dose)."

Why don't they offer these to adults as well? Of course, even when you factor out the mercury, there are still other chemicals in the vaccines, not to mention the weird culture media used to grow the disease organisms--enough stuff to make me want to stay away from them as much as possible.